The interview focuses on the personal vision of chef Tommaso Luongo regarding contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, with particular attention to the theme of food sustainability. The chef shares his culinary philosophy, based on respecting seasonality, using local raw materials and giving a second life to food. During the meeting, the chef illustrated how Mediterranean cuisine can evolve without losing its connection with traditions, becoming a model of environmental, social and cultural sustainability. He stressed the importance of cooking as an agricultural and cultural act, with emphasis on self-production, the recovery of wild herbs and reducing waste in the kitchen. To concretely demonstrate the principles outlined, the chef has prepared a symbolic dish of his vision: Spaghetti cooked in broth mother, with wild field herbs and lemon juice. An essential recipe but rich in meaning, where the pasta is cooked in a vegetable broth, the “mother broth”, which enhances the flavors of the preparation. The wild herbs, harvested in the garden of the structure, tell about the territory and seasonality, while the lemon juice gives freshness and natural acidity. The dish is a concrete example of sustainable gastronomy, based on the balance between taste, health and respect for the environment. The interview with Tommaso Luongo was an opportunity to reflect on the role of the contemporary chef not only as a cook, but also as custodian of food biodiversity and promoter of a conscious gastronomic culture. His approach is a virtuous example of how the Mediterranean cuisine can be re-read in an ecological key without losing identity.
Interiew by: Raffaele Zirbo
Video by: Luigi Cuccurese, Riccardo Ruggiero, Raffaele Zirbo, Lorenzo Rovella, Francesco Ceriello
Video Editing by: Luigi Cuccurese, Riccardo Ruggiero, Raffaele Zirbo, Lorenzo Rovella, Francesco Ceriello
Document by: Luigi Cuccurese, Riccardo Ruggiero, Raffaele Zirbo, Lorenzo Rovella, Francesco Ceriello
Subtitle ita/eng by: Luigi Cuccurese, Riccardo Ruggiero, Raffaele Zirbo, Lorenzo Rovella, Francesco Ceriello
Translation by: Luigi Cuccurese, Riccardo Ruggiero, Raffaele Zirbo, Lorenzo Rovella, Francesco Ceriello
MedEatResarch – Center of Social Research on the Mediterranean Diet of the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa, head by Marino Niola and Elisabetta Moro
Realized: 28/05/2025
